Software

Much of the day-to-day work of law firms and legal departments, regardless of size or practice area, revolves around documents: creating them, sharing them, storing them, and locating them.  Traditional paper documents are cumbersome and frustrating to manage.  Aside from the costs associated with printing, shipping, and storing the documents, there’s also an enormous efficiency loss involved in organizing and …

It’s a common scenario: you’re leading an audience through your meticulously prepared slidedeck when you’re suddenly forced off script.  Maybe someone in the audience asked an interesting and complicated question, or perhaps you’ve realized that a particular point in your presentation requires elaboration.  Whatever the reason, it’s a moment when you need to shift the audience’s attention away from the …

If you spend a considerable amount of your working life drafting documents, as most lawyers do, the idea of “upgrading” your productivity software can be frightening. With briefs and pleadings to write and deadlines looming, who has the time to learn a whole new interface for Microsoft Word? But as much we might want to keep our old, comfortable software …

We’ve written a good amount about cloud computing, including our recent comparison chart of cloud computing ethics opinions.  But lawyers aren’t the only professionals struggling to determine if and how to appropriately implement the cloud in their businesses. Last week, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), issued an informational paper on outsourced cloud computing for financial institutions.  The FFIEC …

Managing a modern law practice is a challenge, whether you’re a solo practitioner or a firm with a large support staff.  It’s all too easy to let important details slip through the cracks – an unreturned call, a missed e-mail, work that goes unbilled or uncollected.  These seemingly small lapses can have severe consequences. Practice management software offers a solution.  …

On Monday we wrote about using the social web’s “hive mind” to  locate important answers and useful information.  Today, we’re pointing to an example of the hive mind in action.  On The Verge’s forums, one of the site’s editors asked Chrome users a simple question: what are your essential extensions? The post has received more than 150 responses thus far, …

Cloud computing isn’t a new concept.  The technology, which moves software and data off of your computer and into third-party data centers, has broken through to the mainstream.  Major companies like Apple and Microsoft have launched cloud services; commercials and ads for new cloud products abound; and investment firms are pouring money into a wide variety of cloud ventures. But …

Paperless is a big deal for lawyers today.  Properly implemented, a paperless office can save time, money, and a lot of headaches.  But paperless processes tend to breakdown when it comes time to apply the signature.  Suddenly, the document you’ve created, edited, shared and stored electronically has to be printed out just so you or your client can affix a …

Too many excuses are made for a law firm’s inertia toward a paperless or just “less paper”-ridden office. The reason? Most often, “We aren’t sure where to start”. Well here’s a simple plan to help get the mountain moving. Make a paperless plan. But don’t call it that. If you’re leading the cause and the cause involves lawyers, don’t utter …